The Ashes: all-rounder Stuart Broad shows that there's life after Andrew Flintoff

It was a tall, blond all-rounder who starred at the Oval in 2005 and set up England's regaining of the Ashes. It was a tall, blond all-rounder who set up England's regaining of the Ashes in 2009, but the two were not the same.

On the first occasion Andrew Flintoff took the historic occasion by the scruff. He bowled and bowled, flat-out fast, and kept Australia in check. His figures, even today, can make one feel exhausted: 34 overs, ten maidens, 78 runs, five wickets.

Flintoff was playing on Friday, but time had moved on, and so had the mantle of England's all-rounder. Stuart Broad stepped up and ever so politely elbowed Flintoff aside. Time waits for no cricketer. Andrew who?

From the moment he came on after the lunch and rain break, and pinned Shane Watson, Broad was as inspirational as Flintoff in his pomp. England's bowlers in the morning – though not Flintoff – had been guilty of impatience and overeagerness, which was so tempting with glory beckoning.

Broad has grown during this series, but even at the outset he did not lack composure. Being an all-rounder he got into the series and stayed in the England side through his useful runs, even when the wickets would not fall. Confidence comes so much more readily to the archer who has more than one string.

The wickets arrived at Headingley when Broad cleaned up Australia's lower order with the second new ball. He does need something in the conditions, and he had some freshness in the air and on the surface of the pitch at Headingley and, after the rain break, at the Oval.

Broad offered outswing, inswing and offcutters, He did not beat the bat by masses, just enough to take the edge, or in Ricky Ponting's case the inside-edge with an offcutter: a ball that in all his career Flintoff has not developed.

Broad's outswinger defeated Brad Haddin, and Mike Hussey, as it swung into the left-hander. This pitch is fiendishly awkward, as dried as a prune, but it played no part in these two dismissals.

A credit to Paul Collingwood, too. Yes, to Collingwood, even though he took no catch and made only one run in England's second innings. He has been England's ball-polisher-in-chief and he did a wonderful job here: when Broad held it up to take the acclaim for his five-wicket haul, the shiny side of the ball was as buffed up as the Colonel's best pair of boots.

Broad's work is not yet done in this game. He, and Flintoff too, will have to bail out England's fragile top order once again with the bat, so that England reach a presentable second innings total, and have enough runs to play with, and can keep fielders around the bat when Australia chase.

Then the squeeze. The final innings of this series. Australia on the rack but never prepared to lie down without a fight. It will take more mental strength from England before the Ashes are won, even though a minefield has worked in their favour. And while Broad will have his ups and downs as he grows – he is still only 23 – he has the mental strength, and subtlety, as well as the other attributes to be Flintoff's successor, and maybe more.